


He's All That

by RemitheDaydreamer



Category: Archie Comics, Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: DENIAL ISN'T JUST A RIVER IN EGYPT, Declarations Of Love, Denial of Feelings, F/M, Kevin Keller saves the day, Not so oblivious Veronica and Archie, Oblivious Betty, Oblivious Jughead
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-06
Updated: 2017-09-22
Packaged: 2018-12-24 19:37:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12019581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RemitheDaydreamer/pseuds/RemitheDaydreamer
Summary: The one where Veronica 'She's All Thats' Jughead, and everyone at Riverdale High notices - including a certain blonde.Short multi-chapter. Betty/Jughead.OR: the one where Jughead gets a makeover, and Betty realizes that she wants to jump his bones.OR: the one where everyone realizes Jughead is hot af.





	1. Chapter 1

It took a whole summer, but somehow the New York loving, fast-talking, Blair Waldorf wannabe, Veronica Lodge managed to convince Jughead Jones to be her friend. 

They were polar opposites, but their friendship somehow worked. From the surface Veronica appeared to be a shallow, ditzy, snob –but for the most part she was the opposite. She valued friendship over status because of her experience with fake friends in New York, and her wit was razor sharp. Though, occasionally her classicist tendencies would surface that made her beanie-clad friend cringe sometimes. _Like the time that she tried to get Jughead to put truffle oil on his popcorn._

Jughead, also had many layers. To the majority of Riverdale he was just the loner from the wrong side of the tracks with few friends – this was true, but there was so much more. He was an aspiring writer, and was actually one of the brightest of his class despite being a slacker. He also was a movie and literary aficionado, like Veronica.

Both of them shared a distinct hate for fakers and bullies – in fact this is what solidified their friendship. To be precise, it started with a glare at Pop's. Jughead was typing away on his laptop about the Jason Blossom story and Veronica was new to town. The minute she entered Pop's, the resident mean girl, Cheryl Blossom tried to swoop in and be her "friend". Luckily Veronica saw right through her. 

* * *

_"Sorry, Cheryl. I'm here to see my friend." She said curtly, gesturing towards Jughead who was ignoring the scene in front of him._

_The redhead scoffed. "Well, good luck. He's a loser who has exactly two friends: sickeningly nice Fat Betty, and the albeit lovely, Archie."_

_Veronica ignored her and walked away, leaving the bombshell even more furious as she slid in the booth next to Jughead._

_The beanie clad boy looked up and glared at the confident girl in front of him._

_"Who are you?"_

_The brunette cocked her eyebrow. "Veronica. Veronica Lodge."_

* * *

And just like that they became unlikely friends. Betty was away at her internship all summer, and he and Archie were still on the outs. So the loner boy put up with her antics, while she made him step out of his comfort zone. 

For the first day of school – Veronica continued her theme of pushing Jughead way out of his comfort zone. He had let the devious brunette be his “stylist” for the day because she was convinced that his beanie had a Clark Kent effect.

"Ronnie, I look atrocious." Jughead groaned, as he pulled at his suspenders. 

The brunette rolled her eyes and ran her fingers through her brooding friend's raven hair. She inspected it closely – something was off.

A second later her face perked up as the realization set in. Quickly, she turned behind her and grabbed some wax, making one perfect curl loop right in front of his eyes.

She smiled in satisfaction and clapped her hands.

"No, you look like a fucking young Leo DeCaprio."

The loner boy continued to groan as he fiddled with his beanie-less head.

"I can't believe I let you 'She's All That' me." Jughead said with a sigh as he tried to sneak behind Veronica to get his beanie that was sitting at the edge of her vintage vanity.

Veronica smacked him, and snatched the beanie before it could reach his hands. 

"You will get this back after a week - I know you want to impress a certain someone." 

Jughead rolled his eyes. "No, I don't." 

He made the mistake of mentioning Betty over the summer, and since then Veronica was convinced that he secretly had a crush on Betty. What Veronica didn’t know is that Betty just happened to be one of two people he could tolerate – now part of a set of three people he could tolerate. Their relationship was strictly platonic. Plus, he promised her he would help with Archie once she got back from L.A.

Veronica smirked. "I'm going to ignore that. Also, I didn't she's all that you. I literally took off your beanie and put you in hipster clothes. You're already a fucking hottie, Jug. Now own it." 

The outcast shrugged and slung his messenger bag over his shoulder. 

"Fine - let's get this over with, Ronnie. I'm sure to be the laughing stock, while the girl's fawn over Archie's puberty spike." He said bitterly as he fidgeted with the strap of his white tank. 

Veronica smirked and put her arm around Riverdale's very own Holden Caufield. 

"Haven't you heard, Jug? The Joseph Gordon-Levitt look is just as hot as the Chris Hemsworth look."

He shot her his infamous glare, and sighed. 

"Whatever you say, Ronnie."

* * *

The two arrived at Riverdale High, and Jughead swore he could feel his stomach leap into his throat. They walked up the stairs to the main hallway, and everyone kept turning their heads. He could feel their eyes on them.

Jughead closed his eyes and swallowed out of nervousness.

 _They’re just looking at Ronnie._ He reassured himself over and over in his head.

With satisfaction, Veronica looped her arm into Jughead's and squeezed. 

"See, handsome? How does it feel to be the hottest guy in school with the hottest girl?" 

The loner lightly blushed. 

"No one has even noticed me, Ronnie."

The words came out of his mouth easily - but he knew it was a lie. The voice in his head was fighting a losing battle.

Literally everyone's eyes were on them. Cheryl's posse was gaping, and even Reggie didn't have a mean word to say to him. In fact, people were saying hi to him – people who normally would avoid him like a plague.

“All of those girls are salivating over you.” Veronica whispered in his ear.

It was overwhelming. Everyone was paying so much attention to him.

_“Hey, Jughead looking good.”_

_“Jug – you actually look semi-jacked. You gonna try out for the team?”_

_“Are you coming to my party on Friday?”_

Jughead breathed and looked at the end of the hall towards his salvation.

Betty Cooper.

* * *

 

At the other side of the hall was Betty. She was in her usual gear, pink sweater and jeans – her hair in a perfect ponytail. She was animatedly talking to her friend, Kevin – but their conversation came to a halt.

Kevin wasn’t listening.

“Kev – what’s up? I was just getting to the part where Archie avoided me while walking to school.”

Her flamboyant friend abruptly grabbed her head and pointed it at the direction of Jughead and Veronica.

“Plot twist number two – Jughead got hot. Like super hot.”

The blonde swallowed, letting her eyes roam over one if her oldest friends. He had filled out nicely. She could see the outlines of lean muscle under his white tank, and some definition in his arms. She also appreciated his free flowing raven hair that she could have sworn she had never seen before. 

"You're salivating, Betty." Kevin whispered through his teeth, nudging her lightly in the stomach. 

He looked gorgeous, and the brunette on his arm was the perfect match. 

"Who is she?" Betty whispered back. 

Kevin furrowed his eyebrows. "I don't know but those two will make beautiful ass babies."

Betty felt a twinge in her stomach, and she winced - causing Kevin to notice. 

"Don't tell me you're jealous."

"Shush. They're coming towards us."

Her green eyes lifted to meet his blue ones, and she smiled and waved as they approached her and Kevin. 

"Have you become a hashtag LA woman?" Jug joked. 

Betty’s eyes widened, and she was momentarily speechless.

 _Say something, Cooper_.

Luckily Veronica interrupted, clearing her throat. Veronica released her arm from Jughead’s and reached out to shake Betty and Kevin's hands. 

"Hi, my name is Veronica Lodge. New York City import, keeper of Jughead Jones, and your newest friend."

Jug rolled his eyes. "By keeper she means saving me from the insanity that is high school."

Betty laughed, but felt weirdly uneasy. 

Kevin could feel the tension so he quickly interrupted. "Let me guess - you are to thank for this transformation?"

The brunette smirked. "No need to thank me. I legit took off his beanie, and made him not pile on his sweaters that hide his little body."

"Can you both stop talking about me like I’m not there?"

Kevin, Veronica, and Jughead laughed - but the noise that escaped from Betty's mouth was fake.  

She didn't know what was happening, but she felt utterly uncomfortable with Veronica. Worse, she felt utterly uncomfortable with one of her oldest friends. 

The blonde sighed, thinking it couldn't get any worse, but a voice cut through her thoughts. Cue Archie Andrews. 

"Hey Betty, Kev..." The redhead’s voice trailed as his eyes landed on Jughead and then Veronica. 

Veronica's eyes met Archie's and the whole group could feel the unspoken sexual tension. Their eyes wouldn't leave each other, and with each passing second Betty died on the inside. 

"Jug...who's your new friend?"

The misfit looked at his friend and decided to let bygones be bygones. There must have been some good reason Archie was flaky this whole summer. 

"This is the notorious, Veronica Lodge. She fancies herself an upgraded Blair Waldorf."

Veronica swatted her friend and flashed Archie her famous Lodge grin. 

"Nice to meet you Archie."  

Betty swallowed, watching the scene unfold in front of her. Everyone was talking animatedly, like they were fully in sync, with her, the outsider simply observing.

* * *

 

"You know Betts, if you like him go for it." He teased as he sipped his milkshake. 

Her eyes flitted down and she shook her head. 

"He's entranced by your girlfriend." 

Jughead scoffed, and the most delightful sound came out of his mouth. He was laughing. Something Betty had only heard a handful of times while growing up with him.

The blonde narrowed his eyes, and pushed his shoulder from across the table. 

"What the hell is so funny, Jones?"

"You thinking that Ronnie is my girlfriend. Gross." He said with a shudder.  

Betty couldn't believe her ears. There was no way Jug didn't at least like the beautiful, mysterious brunette. 

"But she's gorgeous and she called herself your Keeper. If you don't like her, she definitely likes you."

As she said that, Jughead's melodic laughter turned into howling guffawing. 

"Ronnie is disgusting."

As he continued to laugh, Betty got quiet. 

"Betts. What's wrong?" 

"Nothing, it's just..."

The blonde paused and clenched her fists. She didn't know why but she felt overwhelmingly anxious and angry. First the Jughead transformation, then Veronica, then Veronica and Jughead, then Archie's obvious insta-crush on Veronica...it was so overwhelming. 

She breathed deeply and closed her eyes, and next thing she knew she felt an arm go around her shoulder. 

"I'm here, Betts."  

His warmth was so comforting, and it felt so right. 

She felt a slight fluttering in her stomach, and her eyes immediately opened, as she realized her thoughts. 

This was Jughead - her oldest friend. 

She brushed away that fleeting feeling and sipped her milkshake. 

She swore she did not feel butterflies in her stomach fluttering. 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the kudos, comments, bookmarks, etc. I've been in hibernation for a while, and Riverdale was the first fandom in years that has inspired me to write again. Bughead is too pure for words.

She's doing it again. She's staring at his lips. Not Archie’s.

It had been a week since they had gotten back to school, and things naturally fell to there normal place. The three musketeers had become the core four, and they did the usual - Pop's, movie nights, and going to all of the town events. 

The only difference was that the blonde was finding herself feeling like an outsider. There was clearly a love triangle forming between Archie, Veronica, and Jughead. She knew that her friend denied it, but the way he looked at her was undeniable. 

He definitely liked her. 

"Jug, want to hang just you and me?" Betty asked.  

Jughead smiled, a bit surprised by the question. 

"Of course, Betts. Want to get away from mating season?" He joked, gesturing towards Archie and Ronnie who looked like they were about to make out against the lockers. 

The sight would normally make her stomach crawl. Instead it made her almost unreasonably happy. Elated even. 

"So, I'll pick you up at 7:00, Betts? We can go to the Bijou?" 

The blonde couldn't control herself. A sickly sweet smile formed on her lips, and she felt a little nauseous like there was something in her stomach...fluttering. AGAIN.

"Sounds good, Juggie."

The raven-haired boy got closer, subtly gesturing towards Archie.

"After the movie, I can give you intel on your dearest Archiekins over a burger and shake that you'll treat me to."

Betty beamed, and nodded. “Anything for you, Juggie.”

He smiled and slung his messenger bag over his shoulder. “I know this may sound weird, but Reggie, me, and Moose have a group project…and they’re actually nice?!”

“More on that later.” He said with a joking wink.

She nodded, and waved goodbye, watching his _soft_ wavy hair bounce away, still beanie-less.

“Anything for you, Juggie.” A saccharine voice singsonged once Jughead was out of earshot.

Betty felt herself physically cringe.

_She did not sound like that._

“Shut up, Kevin.”

“I’ll shut up once you get that stupid smile off your face.”

She glared at her friend viciously, and crossed her arms over her chest in defiance.

“You know, Betty. Denial isn’t just a river in Egypt.”

“I can’t with you right now.” She huffed, and turned her heel, smacking straight into Veronica Lodge.

“Hey, Betty. I was just looking for you! Can we talk?”

With uncertainty she nodded her head.

_Well, here goes nothing._

* * *

 

Veronica led her to the band practice room, the one that Josie and the Pussycats often used as rehearsal space. She knew no one would be there, and she had already “cleared” the space with the territorial, Josie. 

Betty sat down on one of the drummer’s chairs and shifted back and forth.

“So, what’s with all the seriousness, Veronica?”

The brunette clutched her pearls and exhaled deeply, while Betty watched in amusement. She had a feeling that her speech would be about a certain red headed friend of hers.

“So, I was talking with Kevin and he mentioned that you and Archie have history. That there was this sense that you both are end game, and I was…”

The blonde smiled before Veronica could finish. “Ronnie, I’m going to stop you right there. I don’t like Archie, not anymore.”

Relief quickly flashed through Veronica’s eyes, and she immediately unclutched her pearls. She reflected Betty’s smile, and jokingly brushed the metaphorical sweat off her brow.

“Are you sure, Betty?”

“Ronnie, the minute that you came to town things changed. You and Arch – it was so obvious. The next day I woke up and realized that I didn’t like him – which I should probably tell Jug about. He wants to give me advice tonight about it, but I need to tell him Operation Endgame is dunzo.” Betty said with a laugh.

She could remember when they came up with that stupid code name. It was right before she left for L.A., and they were at their usual booth at Pop’s. Archie had left, but Jughead and her purposely stayed behind so they could hash out their plan.

* * *

 

  _“Betts, you two are the OTP of Riverdale, as Kevin would say.” Jughead said as he stole the cherry from Betty’s milkshake, as per usual._

_Betty rolled her eyes, pretending to be mad that Jughead had stolen her cherry for the umpteenth time._

_“I prefer the term, endgame.”_

_The brooding teenager’s usually stoic face turned into a teasing smirk. “Operation Endgame it is then.”_

* * *

 

 Betty didn’t notice, but she had spaced out thinking about the memory – a wistful smile on her lips.

“What’s with the wistful smile, Betty?” Veronica stated with a slight teasing edge to her voice.

The blonde’s eyes widened, and out of self-consciousness she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Betty, do I have to spell it out for you?"

The blonde furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

_What would she possibly have to spell? As far as she was concerned she had nothing to hide. Okay, maybe she occasionally thought about making out with Jughead during English class. Maybe she had a steamy dream last night about Jug, the Blue and Gold, and the desk they shared - but that was just normal teenage yearnings...right?_

"You like Jughead." 

Betty's mouth turned into an 'O', and she was speechless. 

 _There was no possible way that she liked Jughead. She had just gotten over her 4 year crush on Archie, she couldn't possibly like her other best friend. It was incestuous. INCESTUOUS._  

"Ronnie, I appreciate your observation, but me and Juggie are friends. Like Archie and me are friends. Like me and Kevin our friends."

Veronica cocked her eyebrow, and on cue Kevin came into the room with a mischievous smirk.  

"Betty, honey. I overheard everything. It is not the same. You do not look at me like you want to fuck my brains out. Hell, even when you liked Archie, you didn't look at him like that." 

The blonde scoffed, rolling her eyes. Refusing to listen. 

_What did they know anyway?_

"Juggie likes you, Ronnie." She retaliated. 

_Hook, line, and sinker. What now, Ronnie?_

The brunette's expression softened, and she put her hand gently on Betty's shoulder. 

"Betty - you do realize you are contradicting everything you acknowledged earlier? You gave me and Archie your blessing, said it was in the past, and that you can tell that WE like each other?"

Betty huffed indignantly. "That does not mean that Jug can't have unrequited love for you. It also doesn't mean that you aren't suppressing your feelings for him."

There was silence. 

 _That's it - I won! She likes him._  

There was laughter. Similar howling laughter to Jug's when she suggested that he liked Veronica. Kevin was clutching at his side, and Veronica's faint laugh lines were appearing. 

"Jughead...is...disgusting." The brunette managed to get out through laughs. 

"Okay, whatever you say, Veronica. Denial is tough." Betty said, while pretending to gather her things. 

She straightened her backpack, ignoring her two friends whose laughter was just now subsiding. 

"Bye, guys." She said abruptly, making her way to lunch. 

"Denial isn't just a river in Egypt, Elizabeth Cooper!" Kevin said loudly enough, just as Betty left.

_Ugh. What do they know anyway? Fine, Veronica doesn't like Jug - but that doesn't mean Jug doesn't like her._

Betty breathed in deeply and continued walking, not expecting to see Jughead. He was not with Reggie. He was not with Moose. He was with Ginger Lopez, who just placed an exaggerated kiss on his cheek. 

And that's when Betty Cooper saw red. 

 

 

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

Lunch was awkward. Betty kept shooting eye daggers in Jug's direction, and refused to talk to him directly. He could sense the tension, but didn’t want to confront her in front of the group. Meanwhile, Kevin and Veronica definitely knew what was up, and they were mentally documenting this lunch as proof. 

"So Jug, who're you taking to homecoming?" Archie teased. 

Veronica smirked. _Looks like Archie was on the same page as her and Kevin_.

Archie glanced at Betty, gauging her reaction. In almost an instant her shoulders stiffened. 

"I don't do dances."

Betty clenched her fists, and abruptly started to gather her things. She needed to get out of there. She had no interest in what Jug had to say. He obviously was going to eventually mention Ginger. 

_Ginger is absolutely wrong for Jughead. Plus, she didn’t have any interest in Juggie before Veronica’s stupid makeover. How shallow – Jughead deserves the world, Jughead deserves someone like m---_

_Get it together, Cooper. Veronica just planted the seed in your head. You do NOT like Jughead._

"Betts, what's the rush? We're still on for tonight, right?" Jug said as she started to walk away. 

The blonde didn't bother responding, she just walked faster. She was embarrassed, angry, and another emotion that she couldn't identify. 

“What’s wrong with her?” He asked, pointedly projecting the question to Kevin and Veronica.

He wrinkled his forehead, trying to think of what could have possibly changed since their conversation from 30 minutes ago.

Ronnie snorted and exchanged smirks with Kevin and Archie.

“She’s jealous of you and Ginger.” The brunette said casually, as she sipped her latte.

Jughead’s eyes immediately bugged out. “No way, Ronnie…and how did you even know about that?”

“I’m Veronica Lodge. Plus, word travels fast because this is Riverdale. Also, Cheryl felt the need to text me about your rejection, implying that it was because of me, but I know better. It’s because of our lovely Betty Cooper.” She said in a matter of fact manner.

Jug swallowed. _There was no possible way that Betty liked him. She liked Archie, and she was all about Operation Endgame before the summer started._

“Betty gave me her blessing today. Me and Archie are #Official.”

_Oh, no, no, no. No wonder Betty was upset. She’s so self-sacrificing. She probably gave Veronica her blessing because she was being the bigger person._

“You guys, really? She’s clearly upset because of you two.” He sighed and gathered his things.

“I’m going to go find her.”

He was about to leave, when Veronica grabbed his arm and forced him to sit back down. She was only five foot, but her posturing was like someone who was 6’2. She was intimidating.

“Sit down. Me, Kevin, and Archie want to talk to you.”

Jughead glanced at Archie, looking for some back up. The redhead threw his hands up, and tilted his head towards Veronica. “She’s the boss.”

The raven-haired boy sighed and sat back down.

Veronica cleared her throat and gave Kevin permission to take the floor. 

“You are in denial. Betty is in denial. You two like each other.” He spelled out plain and simple.

He gave Veronica and exasperated look. This was the same conversation he had with Veronica during the summer. She gave him an intervention and everything.

 

* * *

 

_“You will not shut up about Betty, Jug. It’s so obvious.”_

_“Veronica. I. Do. Not. Like. Betty.” He said with finality._

_The brunette shrugged. “I think you do – you just convinced yourself that you couldn’t possibly be the one for her.”_

_He felt his heart drop, but he chose to ignore it. “Betty Cooper will only ever have eyes for Archie Andrews. Plain and simple.”_

 

* * *

 “Can you guys stop putting so much pressure on this? Betty’s heart is clearly broken, and all you guys can come up with is forcing her to like me? Come on.” He said angrily.

His eyes landed on Archie, who was afraid to hold his gaze. “And you, how dare you. You know how much Betty likes you – you couldn’t have waited two seconds to date Veronica.”

“Jug I –“

“Save it, Archie. I’m disappointed in you the most. Betty is your best friend, and convincing yourself that she likes me to make you feel less guilty is so low.”

With that line, he left the table. Ignoring Veronica and Archie’s pleas to stay.

 

* * *

 

 Betty found her refuge at the _Blue and Gold_. It was the only place that she knew that no one would follow her.

 _Maybe Jughead would, but Ginger was probably occupying him._ She thought bitterly.

“Bettttyyyy.” A familiar voice singsonged.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before facing her friend. _Everyone except Kev apparently._

“Kev, what do you want? I’m really not in the mood.”

She sat down at the desk that her and Juggie shared, pretending to shuffle through papers. Kevin rolled his eyes and plopped himself at the edge of the desk.

“So, how many times have you and Jughead made out against this desk?” He asked, with a wiggle of his eyebrow for extra emphasis.

The blonde pursed her lips, and once again clenched her fists. “Can you please drop this? I have no interest in putting myself out there.”

She sniffled, and next thing she knew tears were streaming down her face. She touched her face, and could feel her whole face flushing red. Kevin furrowed his eyebrows in concern and immediately got up to hug his friend.

“Betty. I hate when you cry. I’m sorry that you think I am being an ass – but I’m really not. I really think you both like each other. Just take a look at these…”

Kevin whipped out his phone and went to his folder of saved snap chats. “Look at these 10 videos.”

Betty wiped away her tears, and took the phone from his hand. “Okay.” She hiccupped.

The videos were from 2015, all the way up to just a couple of weeks ago. She clicked on the first video, and smiled. Her and Archie were playing with Vegas, when all of a sudden Vegas had tackled Jughead who was lying down on the grass reading a book. The camera then panned to Betty’s face, which was completely focused on Jughead, with the most sincere smile painted on her lips.

“Now look at Jughead.” Kevin pointed.

The camera then panned to Jughead who lifted Vegas and put him on Betty. Betty was squealing with laughter, and Jug was looking at her like she hung the moon.

The blonde paused the video. Thumbing over Jughead’s face.

_When did he get so handsome?_

“Let’s watch the rest.” The blonde said with determination.

Each video had the same recurring theme - at some point in each of the snap chats were the inevitable meaningful looks between her and Jughead.

_How had she not realized?_

“This last one is my favorite.” Kevin exclaimed, clapping his hands.

He pressed play. It was her, Jughead, and Archie over by Sweetwater River. Archie had decided to do “sand pushups”, claiming that they made him work harder. Kevin’s laughter could be heard in the background, and the camera was focused on Archie doing his “sand pushups”. Though if you looked past Archie, in the distance were Betty and Jughead in a canoe, mirroring the ‘Kiss the Girl’ scene from _The Little Mermaid_.

Betty exhaled, not even noticing how long she had held her breath.

_I didn’t even notice Archie in any of these videos…why was I convinced that I liked him?_

“I think…”

She looked down at her palms, almost as if she was expecting them to have an answer.

“When did this happen?

Kevin put his arm around Betty and leaned his head into hers.

“I think you’ve always liked him, Betts. You just convinced yourself that you liked Archie because it was more convenient.” Kevin pointed out.

Betty gave Kevin a watery smile, and zoomed in on her and Jughead. They looked like they were together, and they were looking at each other like nothing else in the world mattered.

“I like him.” Betty said slowly.

“I like Jughead Jones.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for your support! This has been on my brain for a while, and I'm glad I decided to post it :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy! Also, when you get the chance - check out my new one-shot, 'My heart's a tart, your body's rent' - a shameless Cruel Intentions inspired one-shot.

School had gotten out, and Jughead was worried out of his mind.

_Where was Betty? Is she still upset? Did she skip the rest of the day? What if she was hurt?_

With a furrowed brow, Jughead pulled out his beat up cell phone and dialed Betty for the umpteenth time that day – it went straight to voicemail.

_“Hi, you’ve reached Betty Cooper. I’m not here right now, but if you could leave your name, number, and a brief message – that’d be great.” BEEP._

“Hey Betts, it’s me again. I’m just worried about you…give me a call,”

He had looked for her all day, but could not seem to find her. The closest he got was at the Blue and Gold; though, when he got to their musty old office, Kevin said that she had just left. 

Betty left him no choice but to show up at the Cooper residence - his least favorite place to meet her. Mainly because Alice Cooper was a force to be reckoned with. Although he grew up with Betty, her mother was still as horrifying as ever. Granted her dad was relatively nice, but the odds of him opening the door were slim because of his long work hours. 

His feet landed in front of the picturesque suburban home, but he was unsure of what approach he wanted to use. He could get over Alice Cooper being vicious, but he knew him showing up would make her bother Betty more.

_What should I do?_

As that thought passed through his head, his eyes wandered to the Andrews' yard - he found his answer! As fate would have it, Archie's dad left his painter's ladder right by Archie's window. 

_Bingo._

 

* * *

 

 

Betty hated to admit it, but she was a coward. She wanted to see Jughead, but was afraid of how their dynamic would change because of her newfound feelings. 

The young teen huffed and sat back down on her bed, her eyes falling to a picture of her and Jughead before high school. He had his eyes crossed, and Betty was smiling brightly, eyes closed blissfully. 

_Again, how did I not know?_

Before she could contemplate more deeply, a loud knock interrupted her thoughts. 

Her green eyes widened in panic - _who could that be? I swear to god if it’s a robber…_

Her heartbeat sped up as she looked around the room, looking for something to help defend herself.

_Aha!_

She grabbed an old science fair trophy for defense, before tiptoeing slowly towards her window. 

She was about to let out a battle cry, but stopped short as her eyes met the deep blue eyes of Jughead Jones. There was a pause. They both looked into each others eyes weirdly in shock, even though Jughead had climbed up there on his own accord.

_Shit. What is he doing here? Oh god, I can’t turn him away…but I’m nervous. Was he always this cute? Fuck, fuck, FUCK._

With a deep breath, she broke his gaze, put down her trophy, and opened her window. 

_Now or never, Elizabeth Cooper – get it together!_

"Hey there, Juliet. Nurse of duty?"  He quipped, interrupting her thoughts before they consumed her again.

She smiled and motioned for him to come in. 

"You haven't gone full Yellow Paper on me, have you?" He asked, as he swung his legs over the windowsill.

He brushed off his hands, and gently shut the window, waiting for Betty to say something. Instead, their eyes met again, and a horribly long awkward silence filled the room. The blonde had no idea what to say. All she knew was that her heart was beating so loud, and she could feel her palms sweating with anxiety.

Jughead could see the anxiety in her posture. She was slightly hunched over and she was digging her nails into her palm. He could feel his usually neutral expression begin to break.

_Betts, please don’t be sad anymore._

Letting instinct take over, he closed the distance between them and immediately pulled her into his arms, letting his head rest in the crook of her neck. 

Betty breathed in his scent - smoky, musky, and just a hint of mint. She adjusted her neck and hugged him tighter, letting herself relish the moment. 

_Maybe he did like her._

"Betts..." He muttered into her shoulder. 

"What, Juggie?" She whispered.

"I can't breathe."

She stiffened, and felt a scarlet blush tinge her cheeks. She loosened her grip, and slowly disentangled herself from Jughead's arms. 

"Hey, relax. I'm here." He said gently, putting his hands on her shoulders. 

She looked into his eyes and nodded.

_Her eyes are so pret - oh, get it together Jones. This is Archie, Kevin, and Veronica getting to you._

"I know why you're upset, Betty." He said.

The blond gulped. 

_Fuck. I'm going to kill Kevin, slaughter Archie, then cut Ver---_

"Archie and Veronica. I get it. It's been like a week and they are already making moon eyes at each other."

_Wait, what?_ _No – I like you!_

Betty laughed and shook her head. "Operation Endgame is dunzo. I don't like Archie anymore." 

Jughead shook his head in disbelief. "No way. The torch you carried was like forever."

Betty sighed. "It was weird to come to terms with it. I..."

She paused in nervousness. Looking away shyly. 

"What?" 

Betty bit her lip nervously, and found herself glancing at Jughead's lips. 

"What?" He repeated again, his eyes pleading with her for an answer. 

"I actually like someone else..." she paused and swallowed. Again, glancing at Jughead's lips. 

The raven-haired boy was speechless. He didn't know what else say. 

"Also..." 

Before Jughead could say anything, Betty leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on the corner of his mouth. It was mere seconds, but it felt like forever before she backed away. 

"Thanks for being there for me, Juggie." She said softly, still inches away from his lips. 

"I'm going to go downstairs and tell my mom we're leaving."

Jughead nodded, watching Betty's blonde ponytail disappear behind her bedroom door. 

He let out a deep breath, not realizing just how long he was holding it. 

There was also something else...something in his stomach...fluttering. 

_Fuck._

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're winding down folks. For more Bughead, check out my new Sucker Love series.

Betty and Jughead made it to the Bijou, but the ride over had been awkward. That moment in Betty’s room had changed something. There was an unspoken tension, and both of them could feel it.

“They’re playing _Rebel Without a Cause_.” Betty quipped, breaking the silence as they walked into the lobby.

She nudged Jughead, and grinned in an attempt to ease the tension. Instead, both of them felt that familiar jolt of electricity. That spark caused Jug to back away in nervousness, while Betty reacted by beaming at him with a shy smile.

_Get it together, Jones._

“You want popcorn, Betts?” He asked.

She nodded, and he went to the food stand to get a large popcorn and a blue raspberry slushie.

_Her favorite._

Jughead glanced behind him quickly, and Betty waved. He immediately felt the blush creep up his cheeks.

_Had she meant to practically kiss him? Did she do it by accident? She must have done it by accident…_

“Uh, here’s your popcorn and slushie, man.” The cashier said loudly, taking him out of his trance.

 

* * *

 

“Shush, Archie.” Veronica stage whispered loudly to the iron footed redheaded.  

The brunette grabbed his hand, and they hid behind a giant movie poster, as Archie began to laugh loudly. 

“Jug is much better at co-sleuthing.” She said with a roll of her eyes.

Archie leaned forward and planted a quick kiss to her cheek. “Well, Miss Sleuth, did you crack the case on how I snuck into your heart?”

The normally feisty brunette let a girlish giggle escape her lips. “You’re so lucky you’re handsome, Archibald.”

Ronnie leaned forward, and they started a light make-out session.

“Are you guys serious?”

They quickly backed apart, and faced a very annoyed Kevin. He had his hands on his hips and was shaking his head in disapproval.

“While you two were busy flirting, I saw that Betty and Jughead went in to see _Rebel Without a Cause_.”

Half listening, Archie tucked Veronica’s hair behind her ear, smiling at her stupidly in love.

“Ugh, you two make me sick.”

 

* * *

 

 

The movie had started, and her and Jughead had settled into being a little more comfortable. After shaking off the tension with a couple of snarky remarks, they had slipped into their usual position at the movies - her resting her head on his shoulder, with a blue raspberry slushie in the middle. One straw only of course.

 _How the hell did she ever classify this as platonic?_

A familiar giggle interrupted her thoughts, and she subtly turned behind her. She could see her childhood friend’s bright red hair plain as day next to Veronica’s pearls and Kevin’s preppy cardigan.

“Jug.” Betty whispered.

He turned to her, leaning in close. Her breath quickened at the closeness.

It was dark, but he could still make out the details of her face. Her green eyes, her rosy pink lips, and her kohl rimmed eyes. He also admired her blonde hair that was in loose waves around her shoulders.

_Her hair looks really soft…_

“Focus, Juggie. We have an audience.” Betty said softly, gesturing towards the back of the audience. 

Jughead rolled his eyes. He didn’t even need to look. He knew it was Veronica, Kevin, and Archie causing trouble, and it was making him irrationally mad. They just couldn’t leave them alone.

“Let’s mess with them. I know that they keep pushing the Bughead ship.”

Betty raised an eyebrow. “Bughead ship?”

The raven-haired boy sighed, putting his face to his palm. He could not take it more.

He glanced quickly at them, before pulling Betty closer. “Do you trust me, Betts?”

She nodded…and that’s when he leaned towards her lips.

 

* * *

 

 

“OH. MY. GOD.” Kevin said loudly. 

Veronica’s popcorn hit  the floor and Archie’s jaw dropped.

“No. Fucking. Way.” The brunette said out loud in disbelief.

 

* * *

 

 

Jughead cupped Betty’s face to hide their smiles.

“They definitely think we just made out.” Betty whispered.

He laughed softly. “It’s a good thing we learned how to stage kiss when we did _Our Town_ together in middle school.”

They exchanged a meaningful smile, and it was like time had stopped. In nervousness, Jughead coughed lightly. 

_This is bold...but I have to do this._

“Let’s get out of here, Jug.” Betty said conspiratorially, before she could change her mind. 

She smirked and held out her hand. “What do you say, Juggie? Let’s give them something to talk about.”

He grabbed her hand, feeling the familiar jolt of electricity.

_How had he not noticed that before? Was it always there?_

He nodded, and grabbed the blue raspberry slushie. “We’re gonna need sustenance, Betts.”

 

* * *

 

 

Jughead drove out to the Northside Park. Betty insisted on wanting to do something childish, so he basically had no choice. Though if he was being honest, it was because he couldn’t say no to her.

“Push me on the swings, Betts.” Jughead said childishly, kicking mulch around, as he sat on one of the old iron swings.

She flicked his ear, and sat down next to him on a neighboring swing. “Do it yourself, Jones. Bet you can’t swing higher then me.”

He challenged her back, a twinkle in his eyes. “You’re on.”

They both swung back and forth childishly, before Jughead gave up and jumped off mid-air. 

“Ow.” He said loudly.

He bent down, and rubbed his ankles. “The body is not as resilient as it was at 8 years old.”

Betty jumped off, and landed next him, before doing a round off effortlessly.

“Speak for yourself, old man Jones!” She stuck her tongue out at him, and put a shape of an ‘L’ on her forehead.

“You’re going to pay for that comment, Cooper!”

He lunged towards her and tagged her. “You’re it!”

With that, the Southside boy sprinted across the playground, with Betty chasing after him.

Although Jughead wasn’t a jock, he was fairly fit because of his random construction work, and the occasional work out with Archie. He also was an avid runner, because it helped clear his head of writer’s block.

He glanced behind him, and smiled at the blonde who was getting increasingly annoyed behind him.

_I wonder if she feels the same…wait what?_

He froze, distraught with his thought process.

 _I can’t like her…I can’t like something that is doomed from the start._

Before he could finish his thought, Betty tackled him. He was startled by her weight, and they both collapsed on top of each other in the cool grass. Steadying her breath, Betty lightly pushed herself off Jughead to give him some distance.

He reached up to her and lightly smiled, pulling a leaf out of her hair. “I’m not that type of girl, Betty Cooper.”

Mortified, Betty fully lifted herself off Jughead, and brushed her hands on her jeans. She was definitely blushing.

_You just figured out you liked him today, nimrod. Relax._

“Wanna get milkshakes?”

 

* * *

  

He pulled up to the Cooper household. They were going to get milkshakes, but they saw that the evil trio (Archie, Veronica, and Kevin) was there. They didn’t discuss it thoroughly, but they both agreed that they needed to confront their friends tomorrow.

Though for tonight, they wanted to table those thoughts. Instead, they wanted to hang and watch the movie that they didn’t get to see up in Betty’s bedroom.

“Juggie, just use the ladder to get to my room.” Betty stage whispered.

He smirked. “Betts, your mom isn’t in the car.”

“Her eyes and ears are everywhere, Jug.” Betty said, as she got out of the car.

 

* * *

 

Betty settled into her room, and could feel herself panicking. She had given Jughead a window of ten minutes, so she had to act quickly.

_Should she change? Brush her teeth?_

She tore her drawers apart, and could feel the minutes ticking by.

 _What to wear…. what to wear???_  

In nervousness, she threw on her Vixen cheer shorts, and a fitted tank top. She smoothed the tank top and looked at her reflection.

_Hot, but not trying hard. Not bad, Cooper._

She fluffed up her wavy hair, and opened the window so that Jug could easily slip in.

“Is Lady Capulet around?”

Betty looked down, and could see that Jughead was halfway up the ladder. She waved down to the raven-haired boy. “Hurry up, Juggie. James Dean wants us to watch him.”

Her heart sped up, as he got closer and closer to her windowsill.

_I can’t hold it in anymore. I need to tell him._

He reached the top, and he grabbed her hand. She knew she didn’t need to, but she needed to feel his touch against her skin.

“Where’s James Dean?” He asked.

Betty let go of his hand, and walked towards her bed. That’s when he noticed the wardrobe change. She was in an itty-bitty tank top, and those form fitting Vixen practice shorts.

_Oh. My. God._

He felt his palms sweat, as he took a seat next to Betty on her bed.

“So, are you ready?” He asked softly.

Betty lifted her eyes, and the tension from earlier came into a play once again. Her eyes were wide and shiny, and full of something he couldn’t quite place. He was entranced.

“Juggie, we need to talk about our friends first.”

He nodded, but couldn’t focus.

_Was she always this beautiful?_

“I don’t think they’re wrong…”

Betty was speaking, but all Jughead could focus on was his heartbeat, and the deluge of feelings that he did not want to deal with.

“And…it’s you Jug. I think it’s always been you.” 

He snapped out of his foggy mind, registering what she had just said.

_Did she just say that she liked –_

Before he could finish his thoughts, Betty leaned forward and softly kissed him. Suddenly all of his thoughts went out the door.

_Betty was kissing him. Betty Cooper, girl next door, River Vixen, childhood friend of his…was kissing him._

He deepened the kiss and gently tugged on Betty’s lips, nipping softly. She sighed with pleasure, and that’s when he dropped one hand at the side of her thigh, gently stroking the skin.

_Is this what heaven feels like?_

His tongue slipped into her mouth, and that’s when he heard the sweetest sound – her light moan.

_Wait, this was Betty Cooper. Betty Cooper who has always been in love with your best friend._

He quickly backed away, creating a considerable distance between him and Betty. He couldn’t do this.

Betty looked at him in confusion.

_It had been going so well…_

“Juggie…what’s wrong?”

He was still breathing rapidly, and he could hear ringing in his ears. He needed to put an end to this.

“I’m me, and you’re you. Me and you – we aren’t a plausible option, Betts.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

_It’s happening again…my heart’s breaking._

“Doesn't it ever occur to you how different we are, like on a cellular DNA level? You're a straight-A student, a cheerleader. For God sakes, you're the perfect girl-next-door.”

Betty felt her eyes begin to water.

_No…not again, not again…_

“I hate that word.” She said weakly, tears threatening to spill down her face.

“I'm the damaged, loner outsider from the wrong side of tracks. Betty, come on, let’s not kid ourselves. We'd be on borrowed time.”

And that’s when the tears spilled out of her eyes. She sniffled, trying not to sob openly. She had laid her feelings bare, and he didn’t want her.

_Once again someone did not want her._

Jughead felt a painful tug at his chest, watching her cry. It hurt him just as much, but he knew it was for the best. He didn’t want to be second place in her heart, and he didn’t want her to settle for someone like him.

 _Loner, loser, Southside trash._  

“I’m sorry, Betts.” He said softly, before making his escape down the window. 

He didn’t look back. If he did, then he would have went back and kissed her again. 

_I think it's always been you too, Betts._

 

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tis the end! Thank you so much for joining me on this fun and cliche ride! Be warned, #ToothRottingFluff.

Friday morning came, and Jughead couldn’t bring himself to get out of bed. He had stayed over at Archie’s who didn’t have the courage to ask any questions.

“Hey man, let’s go to class.” Archie said, weakly. 

The loner put a pillow over his head and groaned.

“I can’t go, Archie.”

The normally clueless redhead sat at the edge of his bed, with concern etched on his face. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“No.”

“WRONG!” A voice hollered, slamming the door open.

Jughead took the pillow off his head, and came face to face with a fuming Veronica and Kevin.

He was expecting his raven-haired best friend to continue to lecture him, but it was Kevin.

“You are absolutely despicable, Jughead Jones. I spent midnight to 3am calming Betty down. I feel awful.”

The loner boy felt the pang of sadness and guilt that had racked him all night. He couldn’t sleep at all. He had a total of 2 hours sleep, give or take.

Veronica jumped forward like she was about to say something, but Kevin held a finger to his lips.

“I need a private audience with Mr. Jones. Varchie, may you kindly leave?”

“But –“

“Out.” Kevin said with finality.

Veronica sighed and grabbed Archie’s hand. “If he fucks up again, Kevin. You let us know.”

The tiny brunette shot eye daggers at Jug over her shoulder, before loudly slamming the door behind her.

When Kevin was sure that Archie and Veronica were out of earshot, he whipped out his phone, and scrolled to a very familiar folder.

“I need you to see something.” He bent down to Jughead’s level on the sleeping bag, and shoved his phone into his hands.

“Watch all ten videos, and don’t speak to me until you are done.” He said crossly.

 

* * *

 

10 minutes later…

 

“Oh my god.”

Like Betty, he zoomed in on the last video. The way that they were looking each other, it was like they were meant to be this whole time. 

_But I hurt her…I hurt her so bad…_

“Blah, blah, blah. I already know what’s going through your head, Romeo. You hurt her, and didn’t listen to her when she said she DID NOT like Archie, etc. etc.?”

Jughead swallowed, putting his hand on his face in frustration.

“I need to do something to acquit myself.”

_I am such an idiot._

“Well, stop sulking, Romeo. That’s why I’m here. You need a grand gesture, and lucky you, I have people that owe me favors.”

The raven-haired boy looked up, and lightly laughed. “Kevin Keller, you’re my hero.”

 

* * *

 

 

“B, what are you doing at school?” Veronica asked with concern.

The blonde did not look like her perfect put together self. Her pink polo was eschew, her collar halfway popped. She didn’t have a lick of makeup on, and her hair wasn’t in its normal high ponytail. Instead it was in a very messy side bun. Also, if you looked closely, you could see faint tearstains on her cheeks.

“You look like shit, Cooper. Don’t bother coming to practice.” Cheryl said cruelly, as she walked by the pair.

The blonde slammed her locker shut, not bothering to answer Veronica.

“Betty.” Veronica said, grabbing her arm to get her attention.

“I’m trying the imperfect look. Because apparently my quote unquote perfection is so undesirable.” Betty said bitterly.

The brunette rubbed her new friend’s arm, attempting to comfort her.

“Jughead’s an idiot, but he is so stupidly in love with you.” Veronica offered, hoping to cheer her up.

“I thought he was too, for a second…” She said, her voice sadly small. She bit her lip, trying her best to stop the tears from welling in her eyes.

“But I was wrong, I was really wrong…” Betty choked out, a tiny tear escaping.

“Oh, Betty.”

“I’ll see you at lunch, Ronnie.” She said, quickly disappearing before the brunette could see the streams of tears that had slipped down her cheeks.

 

* * *

 

 

Archie, Betty, and Veronica were sitting at their usual table, in the center right side of the cafeteria. Betty was pushing around her lunch, she had no desire to eat. She put her hands on her cheeks, glancing at the empty space next to her.

_Guess Jughead was playing hooky…probably avoiding my sorry self._

He wasn’t in English, and he didn’t show up at _The Blue and Gold_ during free period. She was positive that he was avoiding her.

_Let time pass…that’s all I can do._

Archie and Veronica looked at each other, listening to the blonde sigh for the umpteenth time during lunch.

Before they could offer comforting words, feedback noise filtered into the cafeteria. At the very front of the cafeteria was Kevin Keller, with a mic in hand and Josie and the Pussycats with Jughead behind him.

“Happy lunch hour, Riverdale. These afternoon sounds are brought to you by Jughead Jones. Take it away, Jughead.”

He took the mic, nervous smile etched on his lips.

“I’m not the best at expressing how I feel, and I hate most people.”

He paused, a few people snickering at his lightheartedness.

Veronica nudged Betty, whose eyes were glued to her lunch. She did not want to look up.

“But, when I mess up, I own up to it. “ He swallowed, looking straight at Betty who still had her head down.

“I hurt someone the other day, someone who I really care about. I want to let that someone know that I didn’t mean it, and that they’re everything to me.”

He paused, hearing the audible ‘ahhs’ from the many girls in the cafeteria. Though everyone had the same thought on their mind – _who was this someone?_

“The song that Josie and the Pussycats are about to help me with is one that you made me listen to over and over again, despite me threatening to smash your I-Pod in half.” He chuckled, clearly thinking about the memory.

“Well, here it goes. It’s your last chance to put in earplugs. This one’s for you, Betts.”

He heard audible gasps in the room, and everyone turned to see Betty’s reaction. She was still, head lifted up to face Jughead, but her expression was blank.

_Oh my god._

With that said, he nodded to Josie and the beginning chords of _Kiss Me_ began to play. It wasn’t the normal acoustic musical arrangement, it was a more upbeat, punk pop version that screamed Jughead Jones.

Betty felt herself itching to bolt, but she felt someone’s comforting hand behind her. She looked up, and saw Kevin beaming back at her, chest clearly swimming with pride at the scene in front of him.

Jughead put the mic close to his mouth, and started to sing.

 

 _Kiss me out of the bearded barley_  
_Nightly, beside the green, green grass_  
_Swing, swing, swing the spinning step_  
_You'll wear those shoes and I will wear that dress_

The blonde’s expression softened. Though his voice wasn’t as smooth as someone with natural singing ability, like Archie – he had a surprisingly pleasant voice, and stage presence.

The beat dropped, and a heavy pop punk shift began. Jughead started singing the chorus, jumping and down.

 

 _Oh, kiss me beneath the milky twilight_  
_Lead me out on the moonlit floor_  
_Lift you open hand_  
_Strike up the band, and make the fireflies dance silvermoon's sparkling_  
_So kiss me_

 

Veronica beamed, grabbing Archie’s hand ready to rush to the front.

“Come on, Betty!”

Betty didn’t move, she was in awe at the boy in front of her. He had always been shy, and unwilling to show other people exactly how amazing he was. But this Jughead – the confident, goofy person on the stage – this is who she saw everyday.

 

 _Kiss me down by the broken tree house_  
_Swing me, upon its hanging tire_  
_Bring, bring, bring your flowered hat_  
_We'll take the trail marked on your father's map_

 

As Veronica scrambled to the front, other students followed suit, moshing along to the song.

 

 _Oh, kiss me beneath the milky twilight_  
_Lead me out on the moonlit floor_  
_Lift you open hand_  
_Strike up the band, and make the fireflies dance silvermoon's sparkling_  
_So kiss me_

 

The song was beginning to wind down, and Betty’s heart was swelling bigger and bigger.

“Sing it with me like a 90s cliché people!” He joked.

Surely enough, people sang along, closing out the last chorus along with him.

 

 _Kiss me beneath the milky twilight_  
_Lead me out on the moonlit floor_  
_Lift you open hand_  
_Strike up the band, and make the fireflies dance silvermoon's sparkling_  
_So kiss me_

 

Betty wiped a happy tear from her eyes, trudging through the crowd of people, with Kevin cheering her on.

“Go get your hot piece of broody ass!”

 _So kiss me_  
_So kiss me_  
_So kiss me_

 

The song came to a close, the last chord echoing, but Betty couldn’t wait. She ran up the stage, heart metaphorically in her hands.

Jughead didn’t have time to register her presence. One minute he was rocking out, the next, the girl of his dream was enveloping him with her lightness - lips, firmly pressed to his.

He smiled into the kiss, wrapping her arms possessively around her, shamelessly showing the world just how much he loved her.

They broke apart, heads pressed against each, thunderous applause ringing in their ears.


End file.
